t
free men and free women. Accordingly, when the Apostolical Constitutions
forbid a clergyman to marry perpetual servants or slaves, B. VI. ch.
17., it is meant only of the former sort; as we learn elsewhere from
the same Constitutions, ch. 47. Can. LXXXII. But concerning these twelve
sons of Jacob, the reasons of their several names, and the times of
their several births in the intervals here assigned, their several
excellent characters, their several faults and repentance, the several
accidents of their lives, with their several prophecies at their deaths,
see the Testaments of these twelve patriarchs, still preserved at large
in the Authent. Rec. Part I. p. 294-443.

[36] I formerly explained these mandrakes, as we, with the Septuagint,
and Josephus, render the Hebrew word Dudaim, of the Syrian Maux, with
Ludolphus, Antbent. Rec. Part I. p. 420; but have since seen such a very
probable account in M. S. of my learned friend Mr. Samuel Barker, of
what we still call mandrakes, and their description by the ancient
naturalists and physicians, as inclines me to think these here mentioned
were really mandrakes, and no other.

[37] Perhaps this may be the proper meaning of the word Israel, by the
present and the old Jerusalem analogy of the Hebrew tongue. In the mean
time, it is certain that the Hellenists of the first century, in Egypt
and elsewhere, interpreted Israel to be a man seeing God, as is evident
from the argument fore-cited.

[38] Of this slaughter of the Shechemites by Simeon and Levi, see
Authent. Rec. Part I. p. 309, 418, 432-439. But why Josephus has omitted
the circumcision of these Shechemites, as the occasion of their death;
and of Jacob's great grief, as in the Testament of Levi, sect. 5; I
cannot tell.

[39] Since Benoni signifies the son of my sorrow, and Benjamin the son
of days, or one born in the father's old age, Genesis 44:20, I suspect
Josephus's present copies to be here imperfect, and suppose that, in
correspondence to other copies, he wrote that Rachel called her son's
name Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin, Genesis 35:18. As for
Benjamin, as commonly explained, the son of the right hand, it makes no
sense at all, and seems to be a gross modern error only. The Samaritan
always writes this name truly Benjamin, which probably is here of the
same signification, only with the Chaldee termination in, instead of
im in the Hebrew; as we pronounce cherubin or cherubim indifferently.
Accor